Alumni Choral Weekend brings together alums, Tufts Chorale for phenomenal concert

On the afternoon of Sunday April 12, Distler Auditorium overflowed with hundreds of people, all gathered to watch a performance of Mozart’s famous “Requiem Mass in D minor” (1791). The piece, an eight-part funeral mass that Mozart composed in 1791, and which was left unfinished upon his death, is an incredible composition on its own – it stands as one of the most famous pieces of classical music in history.

Sunday’s performance of the piece, however, was special for a different reason. The concert was the culmination of Tufts’ first ever Alumni Choral Weekend, an effort to bring Tufts music alumni back to campus for a weekend of socializing and music. During the concert, 55 returning Jumbos, along with the current Tufts Chorale (comprised of 95 members), were joined by a full orchestra and featured professional vocalists, Carol Mastrodomenico, Caitlin Felsman, Thomas Gregg and Ryne Cherry. In keeping with the theme of including as many Tufts-affiliated musicians as possible, three out of the four soloists are music teachers who offer private lessons for students at Tufts. Mastrodomenico also currently serves as Opera Ensemble director in the Tufts Department of Music. The result of this ambitious endeavor was a breathtaking performance of Mozart’s final composition, with over a hundred singers joining their voices in song.

Director of Choral Activities Jamie Kirsch, who conducted the choir, had been mulling over the idea of an alumni weekend for quite some time.

“It was always something that I wanted to do. And I knew that the department had wanted to…for some time, never quite able to make it materialize … I presented the idea to the department, and it was enthusiastically supported from the beginning,” Kirsch said.

Once he received department approval, which included financial support from the Granoff fund, he began to contact alumni and handle the logistical aspects of the show. Senior Zoey Turek and Jeff Rawitsch (LA ’04, ’09), the manager of music events at Granoff Music Center and a double alumnus, were especially involved in putting the event together.

“At the start of spring semester, we really started focusing on this. The first step was to get the information of as many alumni as we could because we wanted to have a huge reach,” Turek, the current president of Tufts Chorale, explained. “We started with Facebook. Jeff Rawitsch was really helpful … he has sung in the choir ever since he’s been at Tufts, so he knows … a lot of years of graduates.”

In addition to helping with alumni outreach, Rawitsch also performed his typical duties as event manager, taking charge of the concert’s production.

“Mostly, what I was in charge of in the end was making sure the hall got set up properly. We had to take out a row of seats on the floor and put in our large platform risers … so that we could fit everybody,” Rawitsch said.

Thus, on the day of the concert, the stage of Distler was filled to and beyond the brim, with the risers extending beyond the edge of stage. This unique structural element definitely added to the visual impact of the performance.

The concert was only the crowning glory to Alumni Weekend, though. Over the course of the Friday and Saturday which preceded the final concert, the alumni had the opportunity to interact with current students and rehearse for the show.

“We started with a reception in Distler. Many of the alums … had never seen this building before … My students were there as well, and it was the first interactions between [them] and these alums, which was wonderful,” Kirsch said. “Saturday was mostly music, long rehearsals…first with the singers, then with the orchestra. Then we had a talk about forming some kind of alumni board so there was a better network … and then we took the alumni for dinner in Dewick, which they loved!”

It seemed that the alumni thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience of Choral Weekend, and were excited about deepening the network between them and the current students.

After the event, John Meurling (LA ’67) reflected on his time at Tufts fondly in an email to the Daily.

“Music has always been a part of my life, and I sang in the Tufts University Chorus all four years. In fact, I met my future wife, Susan, in the chorus. She sang alto and I sang tenor. We have been singing ever since,” he said. 

Susan Meurling (J ’69) said that she and her husband thoroughly enjoyed meeting with current students and appreciated their professionalism.

“The students were so welcoming and charming! They greeted us on Friday night, asked about our time at Tufts and told us about their lives here. I especially enjoyed hearing about the future plans of seniors…” she said. “The students who sang next to me were helpful and strong singers, who seemed happy to be there.”

The camaraderie that developed between the students and alumni helped during the concert, since there was very minimal rehearsal time, especially for the alumni. According to Kirsch, however, all the alumni who returned were incredibly talented themselves.

“The alums we added to this particular chorus were fantastic musicians. So we really lucked out in that sense. As soon as you put them in with my 95 students, the level went up,” Kirsch said.

Furthermore, the choice of song also helped make rehearsals and the performance easier, since it’s such a widely known piece amongst musicians.

“It’s kind of the perfect piece for an event like this, one of the most well-known pieces, one of the most popular piece[s] and a piece that alumni coming back would know and sing,” Kirsch explained.

Many of the alumni, and even some of the students, had experience singing the piece in the past, making it an easy choice.

“We sang this piece in the 1990's with Houston Masterworks. Amazing music. Jamie’s instructions were clear and concise, and six hours of rehearsals seemed to be enough, especially since the Tufts students had been rehearsing it for a few months,” Mrs. Meurling said.

For Rawitsch, “Requiem” has particular sentimental value because of its reappearance throughout his time at Tufts.

“The very first piece I sang in the Tufts choir my freshman year was the Mozart Requiem. I had probably heard parts of it in movies before … that was really my first exposure to it and just something about that piece … is so powerful and inspiring,” Rawitsch mused. “All the different modes and moods in it. There’s not one movement in the piece that anyone would say is … a throwaway … We did it my senior [year] as well, and that was a great concert.”

As Rawitsch says, the brilliance of “Requiem” cannot be overlooked. Most impressive is its dynamic and emotional versatility. Intense and angry at its climax and delicate in its interludes, the theatricality of "Requiem" is an immediate point of interest, even to a listener who is not familiar with classical music.

“The reason why it’s so universally popular … is that there’s something in the piece that has an appeal for everyone. If you’re completely new to music, what this piece has is an unbelievable contrast…every so often, you’re jolted,” Kirsch said. “The fact that he died writing it, the fact that there’s mystery around it…it’s a movie plot. That all contributes to the mystique of this piece. And the fact that it’s not finished leaves even more intrigue.”

The theme of the piece also has a universal reach.

“Mozart, like most of us, found it troubling to consider death, especially his own impending mortality. Although guided by his faith, his music demonstrates his uncertainty of the future, changing almost hysterically from major to minor, major to minor before ending unresolved on an open fifth. Brilliant,” Mr. Meurling said.

Again, these dramatics were all the more distinct – the crescendos and lyrical darkness more emotive –because of the size of the choir. In addition, the orchestra never missed a note. Composed of student sections each led by a professional musician, the orchestra was able to elevate the music and bring out the nuances of the piece. Even from an audience member’s perspective, it was poignant to watch Jumbos old and new come together in a truly remarkable way. Of course, this feeling was echoed in spades by the singers as well.

“I’ve never sung it [the piece] before, this was my first time. And it was just … I’m not a religious person, but that was a religious experience,” Turek said. “Being on stage with everyone and the orchestra, and feeling the music just flow through you. I haven’t really sung any other pieces where that happens before.”

As for future plans, Turek, Kirsch, Rawitsch and the Meurlings all seemed to be in agreement that Alumni Weekend would be a little much to conduct annually. However, since the music alumni network is stronger now, they definitely hope to organize similar events in the years to come.

“The alums are very excited already about coming up with ideas, and about the next event, and when that will happen,” Kirsch said. “If every other year, the alums and my singers came together, given the positive feedback we got this time, I can’t wait to do another one.”